WEâ€™RE THE BEST

We were the best, and we still are,
Even after twenty five, a shining star
Remembering the past, not long ago
Each one hopes and ambitions flow.
Twilight was a beach, not a zone,
Have long conversations on the phone
Everything was so innocent then,
Begin the begin, sung ever so thin.
Engaged to be married or single college bound,
Seniors we were, ever so proud.
Time has come and gone, again and again,
Yesterday and tomorrow, a set of twins.
Exercise your brain or play a game of tennis,
Screened by your mother, boy what a menace.
Inches away from the rest of our lives,
Tall or short isnâ€™t any jive.
Shipping or receiving, not necessarily a clerk,
Thanks for the memories, heâ€™s no jerk.
Rookie cops outworking, cows eating hay,
Understanding not a word we say.
Easy to foil, we do not bend,
Single or double, rooms were then.
Electricity aplenty, drinking afloat,
Notebooks full of class notes.
Installation of class officers, Senior Year,
Our teachers were full of fear,
Roar went the lion, upon the screen,
Collars worn slim, not green.
Losing our hair now, ever so thin,
Around the middle a bulge, however we grin.
Square was a root, not a pal,
Save your money, take out your gal.
Strawberries we ate,not a color of hair,
Included men and women, with a flair.
X-ray was a machine, helping the sick,
Textured our lives, get out of bed
You â€“ members of our class, always ahead.
Tumble or stumble, we went our ways,
Warranted, guaranteed or not, to this very day,
Open for the future; continue twenty five more, I say!

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Editor’s Note

The number one question our editors receive is—what do the editors and judges look for when judging the contest? The number one answer we give is creativity. Unlike prose, writing composed in everyday language, poetry is considered a creative art and requires a different type of effort and a certain level of depth. Of the thousands of poems entered in each contest, the ones that catch our judges’ eyes are the ones that remove us, even just slightly, from the scope of everyday life by using language that is interesting, specific, vivid, obscure, compelling, figurative, and so on. Oftentimes, poems are pulled aside for a second look based simply on certain words that intrigued the reader. So first and foremost, be sure your poetry is written using creative language. Take general ideas and make them personal. In his infamous book De/Compositions: 101 Good Poems Gone Wrong, W. D. Snodgrass imparts, “We cannot honestly discuss or represent our lives, any more than our poems, without using ideational language.”